I am confused by Paul’s writings in Romans. How can one reconcile the following verses: “For not the hearers of the law [are] just before Yahweh, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Rom. 2:13). Compare that with: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of sin. (Rom. 3:20) …Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28).
Paul is not contradicting himself. He is in essence saying faith justifies the man, while works justify faith. Paul says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of Yahweh,” Romans 3:23. He then says, “The wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23.Paul addresses justification as it pertains to carnal mankind. He also refers that term to those who have seen the error of their ways and become baptized into Yahshua’s Name. These two situations must be dealt with separately, one applying to the unconverted individual, the other to one who has accepted Yahshua as his personal Savior.
The only way we can stand before Yahweh is if we had never sinned or if we accept His Son’s sacrifice through baptism when all previous sins are washed away. Yahweh has set forth His Son Yahshua to be “a propitiation [appeasement, reconciliation, expiation of sin, offering of atonement] through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are PAST, through the forbearance of Yahweh” (Rom. 3:25).
When we realize that we have sinned we are to “repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Yahshua the Messiah for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
From baptism onward we obey Him because we are given the power of the Holy Spirit to keep His law. This is where Romans 2:13 fits in as we now become “doers of the law.” We daily seek to obey Him, asking forgiveness when falling short of complete obedience, trusting in the shed blood of Messiah to cover our sins.
Any attempt of man to keep Yahweh’s law aside from faith in Yahshua’s atoning work falls short, because no human can keep Yahweh’s law perfectly, only Yahshua did. Noble people like Mahatma Gandhi, who try their best to live a moral, righteous life always fall short without Yahshua: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight,” (Rom. 3:20). All the good things man does outside the Messiah are of no avail.
We are justified because of our faith and belief in Yahshua the Messiah without the deeds of the law, Romans 3:28. Following baptism and becoming a part of His body, we strive to be free from sin, living a life of obedience. We are then obligated to keep the law to be a witness to the world—an example of righteous living befitting a True Worshiper. After we come to a deeper understanding of His Word and are baptized into Yahshua’s Name, if we sin willfully we are essentially trampling into the dirt the precious blood of our Savior.
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living Elohim” (Heb. 10:26-27, 31).
In summary, Paul reveals that trying to be approved or justified by our own works is impossible. Only Yahshua is qualified to receive the promises made to Abraham: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your seed, which is Messiah” (Gal. 3:16). Once we realize that we have sinned against Yahweh’s holy law, we are to repent and change from our past life to become followers of the Messiah. We obey the law as He taught.
Paul also wrote that whoever con-fesses the name of [the Messiah] must turn from sin, 2Timothy 2:19
Yahweh won’t redeem a rebellious, unrepentant evildoer, but is the “Author of salvation unto all who obey Him,” Hebrews 5:9.
Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 6:9-10: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of Yahweh? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of Yahweh.”
All of these sins break Yahweh’s laws. Do works matter? They do when it comes to eternal rewards!
A friend told me that if I keep the Sabbath then I must also keep all 613 laws of the Old Testament. Is this true? I didn’t know there were that many.
The Talmud lists the number of laws at 613, although that total is disputed. The laws of the Old Testament were the constitution of Israel as a theocracy or nation under a religious government headed by Yahweh. We today are under a nonreligious Roman system and therefore many of the Old Testament governmental laws are impossible to keep today. Many laws are also to regulate a worship system centered in the Temple, which doesn’t exist today and therefore we are unable to perform them. But the majority of those “613” laws are moral/spiritual in nature and are incumbent on us, such as: not to bear a grudge (